Hi Reader -

This is the first time I'm sharing our monthly budget publicly.

The point isn't to show off a perfect system. We're in the middle of paying off a significant amount of debt, and I want to document the process in real time, including the months where the numbers are uncomfortable. If you're new here and want the full picture on where we started and what we're working toward, I've got that on the website.

For everyone else, here's exactly how we budgeted April.

April is a weird month for us budget-wise. Our income is higher than usual because we're getting about $4,000 in tax refunds on top of our normal paychecks, disability, and freelance income. Total expected income this month: $18,345.25. The freelance piece is budgeted at $800, but that number usually ends up higher. We'll see.

Here's exactly where it goes:

Essentials first.

• Mortgage - $3,978.92
• Utilities (gas, water, electric, internet, phones) - $624.15
• Insurance (life, car, health) - $932.53
• Tuition - $469(That's the last time before he moves to a new school!)
• Groceries - $1,000
• Gas and tolls - $200

Spending categories. This month, we have more in here than usual because we've got a trip coming up, some health appointments scheduled, and spring home maintenance.

• Personal spending (x2) - $500 ech
• Kids' spending (x2) - $100 each
• Sports - $294
• Restaurants and drinks - $400
• Miscellaneous - $1,300

Debt payments.

• Minimum payments - $2,770.59
• Extra payment - $1,806

Savings and sinking funds.

• Subscriptions (Netflix, Disney Plus, 1Password, etc.) - $360
• Emergency fund top-off - $500
• Gift fund - $400
• Travel (Hawaii anniversary trip, September) - $2,000

Our emergency fund took a hit last month, so we're putting $500 back in to top it off. The gift fund is how we pay for Christmas and birthday gifts without it wrecking our budget when the moment comes.

And then there's the big one this month: we're putting $2,000 into our travel savings fund. We're planning a trip to Hawaii for our 10th wedding anniversary, and we're saving intentionally so it doesn't come as a surprise expense.

That's the April budget. We use Every Dollar to track all of this, and having transactions come in automatically on the pro account makes it a lot easier to stay honest about where things actually land versus where we planned them to.

I'll report back at the end of the month.